Hyundai Santa Fe Tires Wheels and Sensors

I just bought a Santa Fe SE, and I like it, except that I did prefer the smoother ride on the GLS, which has the 16" wheels, and therefore larger sidewalls and superior cushioning. I asked the service dept. at the dealership if I could change the SE's wheels to 16" GLE wheels. He said this was impossible, and gave some explanation that wasn't all that clear over the phone about wheel sensors. The circumference difference is negligible, so I honestly don't understand what the issue could be. Does anyone know why I shouldn't be able to do this? I plan on double-checking with another dealer.

Comments

I have a firend who needs new tires for her 2003 Santa Fe. What do folks here recommend, based on their experiences? Is there agreement in this group on which tire(s) are best? We're talking about 4x4 in the New York area. Some snow driving, but no off-roading.

i would just say goto tirerack.com and do the comparison there - the results of consumers experiences dictate the ratings of the tires - i'm sure this would help you... once you find what you like - you can purchase from them of shop around for a better price!

I would suggest going to tirerack, they have lots of information about the correct tire fitment and comments from tire customers about their experience and how the tires have performed for them. My Santa Fe is brand new so I can't comment yet about the tires, although I am very satisified with the ride and handling so far and they perform well in the rain. They are Bridgestone Dueler H/T 684 if that is any help.

the biggest complaint on these OE tires is the rough ride and road noise.... as soon as they wear out i'll be looking for something different - for a while they rated high in snow and wet traction which is what i look for most..

There seems to be a contradiction:Our manuals and I believe the door pillar state that tire pressure should be 30psi on a 2007 SF Limited.Why does the tire say max pressure of 44psi????

I understand that that is at max load (GWVR), but a 14lb difference in pressure?? The SF doesn't have that big a load carrying capacity. 3/4 ton pickups don't change that much.No wonder some people have tire wear issues! I remember some threads discussing whether to use 30, 32 or 35lbs. The dealer set mine at 32. I'll see if I can get Bridgestone to comment......

some people swear by what the door pillar says - some believe that it only applies to the OE tires... from what i know - it is the safest tire pressure to use for using the car as it was intended - - - if your putting heavy loads then of course you want higher tire pressure - that particular tire has its individual max pressure - doesn't mean you need to put it all the way up to the max for any reason... for whatever type of way you drive you can play with tire pressures to get the vehicle to perform differently but the manufacturer states what the tire pressure should be - play at your own risk... I had a 1990 Eagle Talon once - i saw an article in a performance car magazine that tested tire pressures for optimum handling - of course the best result was not what was suggested by the manufacturer... lower pressure all around and lower pressure in the rear than the front - but they were looking for handling - not better mpg or reduced tire wear - those would no doubt need yet another tire pressure setting...

It just doesn't make any sense!! I drove it to work this morning at the new pressure of 38lbs and I couldn't tell any difference. I had to tell myself to pay attention to see if I could tell it was riding harder.When I raise my other car, which has 18" lowprofile tires just 3-5psi over the sidewall rating....It's obvious!!!

Here's what I sent to Bridgestone for their comment:

I have a 2007 Hyundai SantaFe Limited that has the Bridgestone Dueler H/T 684II tires.The manual and the sticker on the doorjamb both say to inflate to 30lbs. The dealer delivered the vehicle with 32. Various discussion forums on the SantaFe bounce back and forth on recommending either one.Then I read the sidewall and it says 'max load 1,320 @44lbs'.This vehicle lists at 3,800 dry. So with 2 passengers and fuel, estimate that it all weighs 4400lbs. That's 1100lbs per tire.How could Hyundai be recommending reducing tire pressure over 25%???

Hyundai is going to put a tire on there that matches as close as possible to the SanteFe GVWR. Putting more tire than necessary would cost them money. And just because a tire has a high load capability, doesn't mean you can reduce the pressure just because the sidewall can take it.

I got a reply from Bridgestone. It seems that the 30psi is correct and is calculated via the weight of the vehicle.I stand corrected.Bob,According to my source, the 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe Limited was equipped with the P235/60R18 102H tire size. This tire has a maximum load capacity of 1874 lbs. when mounted on a passenger car. When mounted on a light truck or SUV, the load capacity of a P metric tire is decreased by 9%, so that tire on your SUV has a maximum load capacity of 1703 lbs. or 1570 lbs. at 30 psi. As you can see, this tire size has plenty of reserve capacity for the weight of your vehicle.

Would you please confirm two things and let me know what you find:1) Is P235/60R18 102H the tire size on your Santa Fe2) Re-confirm the actual stamping on the sidewall of the tire.

Bob,Thank you for the confirmation.Our recommendation is to follow the vehicle mfg. recommended air pressure - in this case, 30 psi.

We make this recommendation because the vehicle was likely developed on this air pressure - load capacity, ride, and handling performance all rely on the air pressure in the tire. Air pressure is just one of the tools vehicle mfg. will use to find the best balance of these performance parameters.

As an aside, the maximum load capacity of your tire is actually achieved at 35 psi - we allow up to 44 psi to help tune ride/handling characteristics, but with no increase in load capacity. As you can see, this can get a bit complex - this is why we ask that one exercise care when changing tire sizes/load ratings from the original equipment size/load rating.

Amazing...A Very Responsive company! VERY NICE LETTER...Thanks for sharing!!

One thing not mentioned is the change in Temps during Summer/Winter...I make small adjustments for the climate and radical chg in temps here in Northern Nevada. I definitely stay at 30lbs in summer (expansion of hot air) (Hey, I did something right) A little higher pressure in the winter! (contraction of cold air). Luckily I have a decent compressor setup in the garage...makes it easy!

Since I just got my new Santa Fe Limited AWD a couple of weeks ago, I haven't had a chance to test the tires out in the snow here in Colorado. Someone made the recommendation to my husband to switch out the OEM tires (Bridgestone Dueler H/T) to snow tires this winter.

However, in reading posts on this (and other) forums, there seems to be a LOT of kudos for the Nokia WR SUV tires, which can be left on year round.

Suggestions and comments appreciated folks -- the snow will be here before you know it. Would also appreciate links and pricing info on the Nokia tires too...

I have a 2007 Santa Fe limited purchased in October 2006. Everything runs well however in Jan of this year when the temp dropped below 32 degrees the low tire pressure light came on for the front left tire. It stayed on for a few days and eventually went out when I was able to get on the highway and drive at a higher speed. It happened a few times but by the time I got back to the dealer for an oil change I had forgotten to mention it. Recently the weather started getting colder (I live in Massachusetts)and the same light warning for the same tire came on again and stayed on for 2 days until I was able to drive on the highway. I took the car in for a power seat problem and asked the dealer to take a look at the tire pressure issue as well.Their response to me when I picked up the car was this was a known Hyundai issue with no available fix. Rather then get into an argument with someone who did not appear to know or care if this was true I decided to ask this forum if anyone has ever heard of this before.Your help is appreciated

You don't mention what your tire pressure was. If it was borderline, then the lower temperature could send it below the required pressure (cold air compresses so the pressure decreases, hot air expands so the tire pressure increases).

For those of us living in cold climates it may be wise to pick a cold night and check your tire pressure. it will probably be down 4-5 lbs because of then cold (mine were)

Luckily In have a nice compressor and digital gauge so I brought them back up to 30 lbs cold pressure (dealer recommended it too)

Interestingly, the dealer told me all tires leak air As much as i dislike the 18" Bridgestones they never lost a pound during spring/summer and the present loss is definitely due to temperature. No Nitrogen fill either!

Low pressure, winter blend gas, and a cold engine staying cold longer can cause lower mileage. Until my 3.3L engine warms up, the Mileage is horrible. In town it is also not good! Winter has been worse than summer as well. Funny, my supercharger in the since sold Mini Cooper loved cold air, when I owned it.

Having the correct pressure sure cannot hurt either your mileage or/and tire wear. There are mixed opinions as to whether low air pressure will but I vote yes...it will be lower with poorly inflated tires. (unscientific)

One thing I was worried about prior to purchashing a santa fe were the 18 inch tires that come with it. I knew they would be expensive.

I went to Walmart to pick up some stuff and noticed they did not carry 17 or 18 inch tires. The tire guy said they don't because they need a balancer that can handle the larger size tires.

Has anyone found a cheap source for replacements? I won't need them for awhile but it would be good to know. I don't like paying MSRP for tires. I usually go to Sams.

Anyway Walmart can order P235 60 R18 but can not install them. For those who want to know they have bridgestone for 180.00/ea and Michlean for 230.00/ea out the door, but you would have to find someone to mount and balanced them as walmart does not. I would look at the treadware and ratings on the tire. I have a feeling the michleans would last much longer. The OEM bridgestones have a 320 treadlife.

Who would have thought it would cost $1000.00 bucks to replace 4 tires. Not me!

The prices look pretty good at tirerack. Just have to find out the real specs on the tires. As far as trendware and the A and B and C stuff. Opps I was wrong,they do have the specs they are under UTQG without that you can't tell the real quality of a tire. But it looks good. Could save us a ton of bucks. the Kumho have excellent ratings. They only cost 103.00 and 45.00 to ship. But says backorder all over the place.

once they ship - you take them to an installer of your choice - or you can look at a list of preferred installers that they can directly drop ship the tires to - then you can make an appt to have them installed...